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SECTION 22.5 TRICASTER™ 40 CS & TRICASTER MINI CS
FIGURE 356
TriCaster 40 CS™ was initially designed for TriCaster 40 (not covered in this Guide), its ‘version 1’ button may labels reflect that. The image above reveals the updated button layout when used with the latest software feature set. The TriCaster Mini CS layout is virtually identical, but always sports the updated label set.
While primarily designed to support the 4-input TriCaster Mini, 410, and 460 models, this unit and its similar sibling have been extended capabilities that allow them to work with any Pro model, even including TriCaster 860 and 8000. This makes them perfect travelling companions or backup units for use with the entire TriCaster Pro lineup.
22.5.1 DELEGATES AND SYNCHRONIZATION
Delegate button groups govern other controls on the control surface. Some delegates support multi-selection, allowing simultaneous operations to be performed. When initially selecting multiple delegates, as often as not the settings and states of the individual members selected will vary. For example, when you delegate both DSK’s at once in the TRANSITION DELEGATE group, the RATE for current transitions for the two DSKs could well be different.
Generally, wherever it makes sense to do so, when you make adjustments to settings for multi-delegate features, the settings will be progressively synchronized, then advance in lock step.
FIGURE 357
This delegate group dictates what the FX/OVERLAY, PROGRAM and PREVIEW rows will control. The options are mutually exclusive – that is, multiple selections are not supported. Choose one of:
MAIN
M/E 1
M/E 2
M/E 3
M/E 4
For 8-input models, press SHIFT + M/E (1-4) to delegate M/Es 5-8.
MAIN
FX/OVERLAY ROW
When MAIN is selected in the SWITCHER DELEGATE group, operations in this row are further modified by the OVERLAY DELEGATE selection in the Transition (T- Bar) group.
FIGURE 358
When MAIN is selected in the SWITCHER DELEGATE group, if DSK 1, DSK2, or both are lit, making a selection on the FX/OVERLAY row sets the source for the related channel(s).
If BKGD alone is lit (or, for that matter FTB only), a button selection in the FX/OVERLAY row assigns the ‘FX’ source. For professional model TriCasters, this is the same as setting the source assigned to the Green (FX) switcher row group.
PROGRAM AND PREVIEW
As you would expect, when MAIN is selected in the SWITCHER DELEGATE group, PROGRAM and PREVIEW row operations perform just like their onscreen counterparts.
M/E 1 – M/E 4
On the other hand, when one of the M/E delegates (1-4) is selected in the SWITCHER DELEGATE group, the three rows beneath are repurposed to correspond to KEY, INPUT A and INPUT B rows of the delegated M/E(s).
SHIFT
SHIFT is a ‘qualifier button’ (like ALT), providing access to secondary functions for certain buttons. (For example, ALT + SHIFT + (Preview row selection) toggles the Proc Amp feature for the designated video source.)
FIGURE 359
FIGURE 360
ALT
Holding ALT provides access to secondary functions for certain buttons. You’ll note on inspection that the first four buttons in the FX/OVERLAY row have icons on their upper half representing transport and navigation features associated with TriCaster’s Media Players.
Specifically, the supported control operations are:
| (Previous Item) – Press this button to go to the previous playlist entry in delegated Media Players. (The selection cycles to the last playlist entry when necessary.)
(Stop) – Push once to end playback for delegated Media Players; push a second time to return to the start position (this operation respects the Single setting for individual Media Players.
(Play) – Push to initiate playback for delegated Media Players.
| (Next Item) – Push this button to go to the next playlist entry in delegated Media Players. (The selection cycles to the first playlist entry when necessary.)
You determine which Media Player to control by pressing ALT. Doing so lights one of the Media Player selection buttons in the FX/OVERLAY row – whether DDR 1, DDR 2, GFX 1, or GFX 2. Make a different Media Player selection while ALT is pressed (use SHIFT + GFX 1 to select GFX 2). Then press one of the first four buttons in the row along with ALT to perform the transport/navigation operation assigned, as listed above.
ALT AND SHIFT FUNCTIONS
Press ALT along with a button on the PREVIEW row to toggle LiveMatte for the corresponding video source. Add the SHIFT button with ALT button to toggle the source’s Proc Amp instead.
The transition control group offers familiar controls, including a T-Bar, transition selector and timing knobs, along with AUTO and TAKE buttons. These are all governed by delegates, as discussed earlier.
The TRANSITION DELEGATE buttons include BKGD, DSK 1, DSK 2, and FTB (Fade to Black) buttons. These can be multi-selected, and govern which video layers are affected by operations performed with the SELECT and RATE knobs, AUTO and TAKE buttons, and the T-Bar.
FIGURE 361
TriCaster’s Background layer effectively comprises the program output before any DSKs (or M/E KEY) layers or FTB are considered. When MAIN is selected in the SWITCHER DELEGATE group and the BKGD delegate button is selected alone, a TAKE swaps the source selected on the PREVIEW row for the one shown on the PROGRAM row. M/E selections in the SWITCHER DELEGATE group cause transition controls to operate similarly on their respective targets.
If one or more DSKs is selected along with the BKGD delegate button, the display state for the delegated DSK or KEY layer(s) will be affected as well. Depending on their current status, this may bring them into view, or remove them from view. This allows, for example, to simultaneously hide one DSK (such as a title page) while revealing another, even as you bring in a new BKGD source. Or you can display and hide both DSK channels in tandem.
SHIFT FUNCTIONS
The SHIFT key provides access to various supplemental features, such as selecting M/E 5 on a TriCaster 860 or 8000 (press SHIFT + M/E 1 in the SWITCHER DELEGATE group), or accessing GFX 2 on the PROGRAM row.
In addition, the following special functions are provided:
SHIFT + AUTO: Reverse direction to fully remove or display delegated video sources left partially displayed by an incomplete prior transition.
SHIFT + FTB (TRANSITION DELEGATE): Perform an immediate FTB TAKE.
SELECT AND RATE
These two buttons, too, are governed by the delegate buttons above (both SWITCHER DELEGATE and OVERLAY DELEGATE selections). Select BKGD and twist the appropriate knob to select a different BKGD transition from the onscreen bin, or to change its rate.
These knobs also act like pushbuttons. Push down and release SELECT to toggle the
Reverse switch for the current BKGD transition.
Hint: Background transitions are the only type to offer a reverse option; DSK transitions automatically toggle their direction.
Or – push the RATE knob repeatedly to cycle through the S (Slow), M (Medium) and F(Fast) transition speeds. Recall, too, that multi-selection is supported.
T-BAR INDICATORS
TriCaster’s onscreen main T-Bar always snaps back to the top at the end of a transition. This is not true, of course, for the T-Bar on the control surface. To help you know what will result from moving the physical T-Bar, observe that there are green LEDs located near either end of its stroke. Normally, one of these is lit to indicate the direction the T-Bar should be moved to complete the last operation or perform a new one.
In some cases, transition operations can result in the onscreen T-Bar and its control surface counterpart being out of synch with one another. In such cases one of the
LEDs begins to flash, and the T-Bar is deactivated. It will remain in this state until it is moved fully to one end of its stroke, re-synchronizing it with the user interface. Afterward, the T-Bar resumes control over the delegated sources.